1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to winged V-groove fiber optic clamps and splicers. Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide new and improved clamps and splicers of such character.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Non-aligning clamping or holding mechanisms have been used in the past in conjunction with micro-manipulators for moving such mechanisms until the optical fibers are in place. Disadvantageously, micro-manipulators are very expensive, and often too bulky to use conveniently. Three translation stages and two rotation stages are needed for complete alignment, although usually the rotation stages are not used because of cost considerations. Even more significant, most fiber clamps used in these setups produce microbends in the fiber when clamped; these microbends cause power to be lost from the fiber, and power measurements made when the fiber is clamped are therefore not consistent or representative of the power flowing when the fiber is unclamped.
Precision V-grooves have been used in the past, wherein the fiber is placed accurately into the bottom of the groove, sometimes followed by a mating V-shaped cover to hold the fiber in place. Disadvantageously, though a V-groove is a very high precision alignment mechanism for a cylindrical object such as an optical fiber, this is only true when the fiber is fully as far down into the groove as it can go, with the fiber in contact with both walls of the V along its full length. This usually requires that the fiber be bent or moved externally until it settles down into the groove bottom, or that it can be forced down with a probe; in either case it is necessary to watch the operation under a microscope to really be sure when the fiber is in place. The use of a mating V-shaped cover does not, in general, push the fiber down to the bottom of the groove by itself. When the fiber is not already in place, the cover often breaks the fiber or causes additional microbending losses. In general, unless the fiber is initially well placed, the cover holds the fiber firmly, but often out of the proper alignment and with high optical power loss.
Other prior art systems utilize a very shallow V-groove, such that the fiber extends above the top of the groove even when firmly in place, and uses a cover which is either flat or contains another V-groove. Disadvantageously, it is extremely difficult to get the fiber to lie within such a groove without micro-manipulators or precision pre-aligned ferrules. Such V-grooves, presently, have found little application except in expensive fiber splicing machines complete with manipulators and microscope.